Hired Raises the Bar at the One Team One Dream Corporate Offsite

In October, the Hired team reunited in Washington, DC for the One Team One Dream (OTOD) corporate offsite. Here, the team strategized, reconnected, and celebrated the wins they accomplished despite tough times.

SVP of Marketing & Partnerships Erica Yamamoto said, “OTOD was an incredible opportunity to come back together, especially after a challenging year, and recognize our collective strength as a team. Navigating obstacles together, reaffirming our commitment to empathetic customer service, and, of course, letting loose with many rounds of karaoke was energizing. I’m so excited to continue to drive forward with this new energy.”

Day One: The Kickoff

Remote to in-person

After checking in and claiming some awesome swag, exclamations filled the air as people connected with one another. Hired is a fully remote company, with employees in 22 states and 10 countries, so many coworkers met face-to-face for the first time.

Josh welcomes everyone

This year’s theme was based on an important and timely value: “Raise the Bar.” It centers around impact and staying both focused and curious.

During the offsite kick-off, CEO Josh Brenner explained the phrase and why it mattered here and now. “’Raise the Bar’ originates from the track and field world. In the high jump and pole vault competitions, the bar is raised after each jumper completes the jump, making each one more challenging.

In the corporate context, ‘Raise the Bar’ describes setting a higher standard. When thinking about raising the bar on an individual level, it makes me so proud to see how every one of you has raised the bar and has grown in your skills and experience during your time so far at Hired… It’s also made evident from the fact that we have an average tenure of over three and a quarter years and roughly 40% of the team has been here for over four years. We’ve only gotten to where we are because we’ve had a team passionate about helping our candidates find their dream jobs and solving the challenges our clients have finding talent.”

Josh reminded the team that amid tech layoffs and economic uncertainty, everyone leaned in further into Hired’s vision and came together as one team, one dream. We remained resilient.

The team also heard from VP Product Jon Dobrowolski and Chief Revenue Officer Amy Pisano during their fireside chat on how the Hired platform will approach strategic planning for 2024.

Looking ahead with optimism and excited to delve further into the strategy, the rest of Day One consisted of in-person catch-ups and good conversation over dinner.

Day Two: Team building

To kick off a day of team building and strategizing, Erica presented what sets Hired apart: human empathy. Leaning into customer centricity, Erica introduced an activity for the Hired team to really get into the shoes of its customers.

Great companies that build an enduring brand have an emotional relationship with customers that has no barrier. And that emotional relationship is one of the most important characteristics, which is trust.
Howard Schultz, Former CEO of Starbucks

Hired colleagues from across departments teamed up for a strategic budgeting exercise that shed light on the challenges clients faced, and more importantly, how we could work together to overcome them.

Following this cross-functional activity, everyone broke out into their functional teams to reunite with those they work with day-to-day. Each team spent time in their own sessions, brainstorming innovative ways to collaborate further and strengthen Hired as we move into 2024.

After working hard all morning, it was time to play hard by the afternoon. Hired had more team bonding at the National Mall where everyone had a blast competing in a scavenger hunt, organized by Go Games. Teams raced through DC’s historic sites, trying to earn as many points as possible by completing assigned tasks and challenges.

To unwind at the end of a very active day, employees enjoyed team dinners, which included time to catch up with colleagues. Later, everyone regrouped for some of the best entertainment – coworkers singing karaoke. Here, we all let loose with dancing and singing through the night!

Day Three: Celebrations

SVP of People Strategy Sam Friedman took the stage to announce winners of the budgeting case study activity, scavenger hunt, and Fall 2023 OTOD Awards (congrats to Ilana, Sophia, and Kevin!). Team leaders recapped the accomplishments of their functional breakouts before Josh shared a heartfelt sendoff, thanking the leadership team and broader Hired company.

He emphasized the value of coming together as one team, one dream to help Hired thrive, and encouraged everyone to continue raising the bar. Then it was time for bittersweet goodbyes.

We are so thankful for this opportunity to collaborate, plan, celebrate, and laugh with our Hired colleagues in person. We look forward to our next offsite and will continue connecting virtually until then! Big thanks to Executive Travel & Incentives and to so many colleagues who worked hard to create a wonderful event, especially the Hired People team.